Moving On Up: Amid Financial Setbacks at Museums, 31 Curators and Arts Leaders Took on New Appointments in Second Half of 2023
Culture Type reports on new appointments of Black curators and arts leaders to get a sense of representation in museums, with an emphasis on art museums. Museum leaders, curators, and educators shape the management and intellectual direction of institutions, determine the art visitors see and the programming they experience and, by extension, whether audiences of...
National Portrait Gallery Unveiled Oprah Winfrey Portrait, Media Mogul Marvels at Being ‘Alongside All the Greats’
Washington, D.C., Dec. 13, 2023: Artist Shawn Michael Warren and Oprah Winfrey pose with his portrait of her during the official unveiling ceremony at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. | Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery WHEN OPRAH WINFREY is involved, amazing things tend to happen. Everybody gets a car,...
British Caribbean Artist to Watch Hettie Inniss Has Joined Grimm Gallery
Hettie Innis in her studio, 2023. | Courtesy Peter Mallett GRIMM, AN INTERNATIONAL GALLERY with locations in Amsterdam, London, and New York City, now represents Hettie Inniss (b. 1999). The British Caribbean artist lives and works in London. Paintings by Inniss are featured in “The Painted Room,” a group exhibition curated by Caroline Walker...
Goodman Gallery Now Represents Kenyan Artist Chemu Ng’ok, ‘I Feel Like the Body is a Fertile Ground for Contemplation, for Ideas’
GOODMAN GALLERY announced its representation of Chemu Ng’ok (b. 1989) last week. Ng’ok’s paintings and drawings feature abstracted figures and figurative forms entangled in a web of linework. The images explore the physical, psychological, and political aspects of the body and the complexities of human interaction, occupying space, and simply being. “I am thrilled to...
Latest News in Black Art: Alexander Harrison Now Repped by Kasmin, New Appointments at Baltimore Museum of Art, Renell Medrano Wins ICP Infinity Award & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Alexander Harrison. | Photo by Diego Flores Representation Kasmin in New York announced its representation of painter Alexander Harrison (b. 1993) on Dec. 4. Born in Greenville, S.C., Harrison lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y....
Akinsanya Kambon Receives $100,000 Mohn Award, Made in L.A. Biennial’s Top Prize Honors Artistic Excellence
AKINSANYA KAMBON, Installation view of Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Oct. 1-Dec.31, 2023. | Photo by Charles White THE CERAMIC WORKS OF Akinsanya Kambon (b. 1946) have patinaed surfaces with a striking iridescent luster. Inspired by Black narratives and his pan-African beliefs, the figurative sculptures, vessels, and wall...
Dalton Paula Joined James Fuentes Gallery, Brazilian Artist’s Portrait Paintings ‘Create a New History’
DALTON PAULA, “João Mulunga,” 2023 (oil and gold leaf on canvas in two parts, 24 x 17 3⁄4 x 1 1⁄2 inches). | © Dalton Paula, Courtesy the artist and James Fuentes THE WORK OF Brazilian artist Dalton Paula (b. 1982) may look familiar. A pair of portraits he painted representing slave resistance leaders...
Nicola Vassell and Hauser & Wirth Galleries Announce Partnership and Co-Representation of Artist Uman
UMAN, “Amapiano Dance,” 2022-23 (acrylic, oil and oil stick on canvas in artist’s frame, 159.1 x 159.1 cm / 62 5/8 x 62 5/8 inches). | © Uman. Courtesy the artist and Nicola Vassell Gallery, Photo by Lance Brewer NICOLA VASSELL GALLERY and Hauser & Wirth announced a new partnership and co-representation of Uman....
Paula Cooper Gallery Now Represents Cynthia Hawkins, New York Artist Engaged With Abstraction Since 1972
Cynthia Hawkins, 2022. | Photo by Todd Smith Fleming PAULA COOPER GALLERY announced its representation of painter Cynthia Hawkins. Since 1972, Hawkins has been working in abstraction. Describing the artist’s work, the gallery said her paintings draw on “diverse literary, philosophical, and scientific influences” and “utilize a highly developed vocabulary of symbols and signs...
Coming Soon: First International Exhibition of Mickalene Thomas Opens at The Broad in Los Angeles Next Spring, Then Travels to Museums in Philadelphia and London
MICKALENE THOMAS (b. 1971), “Din avec la main dans le miroir et jupe rouge,” 2023 (rhinestones, acrylic and glitter on canvas mounted on wood panel, 90 x 110 inches /228.6 x 279.4 cm). | © Mickalene Thomas A MAJOR TRAVELING EXHIBITION of Mickalene Thomas is launching next spring. “Mickalene Thomas: All About Love” opens...
Latest News in Black Art: Charisse Pearlina Weston Joined Patron Gallery, Danielle A. Jackson Co-Curating Carnegie International, New CEO at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Wangechi Mutu, Christopher Myers & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Charisse Pearlina Weston, a 2022-23 Artist-in-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, is now represented by Patron Gallery. | Courtesy Patron Gallery Representation Charisse Pearlina Weston has joined Patron Gallery in Chicago. Weston is a...
2024 Getty Prize Goes to Mark Bradford, $500,000 Grant Will Be Awarded to Nonprofit of Artist’s Choice
THE GETTY FOUNDATION in Los Angeles announced Mark Bradford is the recipient of the 2024 Getty Prize. Bradford makes large-scale paintings composed with layers of paper. Both abstract and conceptual, the work explores social and political structures and the adverse ways they impact the lives of vulnerable populations. The Getty Prize gives Bradford the opportunity...
Studio Museum in Harlem’s New Branding Presents Its ‘Identity as a Community-Centered Institution and Globally Minded Place Where Black Art Lives’
New Studio Museum in Harlem letterhead displays the institution’s new logo. | Courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM has a new look and feel. The museum introduced new branding, including a bold new graphic identity, custom typeface called “Studio Museum Black,” and redesigned website. Building on its mission as a...
Latest News in Black Art: Abrupt Departure of Newfields CEO Sparks Protest, New Fisk President, ‘Black Modernisms in the Transatlantic World’ Wins Porter/Driskell Book Award & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Colette Pierce Burnette. | Photo by Kylie Birchfield Appointments Newfields Board of Trustees announced the “departure” of its CEO, Colette Pierce Burnette, (above) in a brief statement on Nov. 10, abruptly ending her 15-month tenure....
White Cube Gallery Announced Its Global Representation of Sculptor Richard Hunt, a ‘Giant Hiding in Plain Sight for Decades’
RENOWNED SCULPTOR Richard Hunt, is now represented worldwide by London-based White Cube. Hunt produces abstract, organic forms that often suggest the figure and speak to African American history and culture. Working with steel, aluminum, copper, and bronze, he describes the forms as “volumetric.” In December, White Cube will present Hunt’s sculpture, “Years of Pilgrimage” (1999),...
Latest News in Black Art: Rashid Johnson Installation at Whitney Museum Restaurant, Black Women Win Photography Prizes, Kaloki Nyamai Joins James Cohan Gallery
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture RASHID JOHNSON, “New Poetry,” 2023 (black steel, ceramics, grow lights, plants, wood, shea butter, books, films on CRT monitors, 190 x 359 1/2 x 65 inches / 482.6 x 913 x 165 cm). | © Rashid...
Forthcoming: Pérez Art Museum Miami is Presenting First Solo Museum Exhibition of Calida Rawles, Her Poetic Water Portraits Blend Hyperrealism and Abstraction
WATER AND ITS MANY THEMES, characteristics, and metaphors is central to the practice of Calida Rawles and serves as an anchoring through line in her paintings. A hybrid mix of hyperrealism and abstraction, her poetic images capture men, women, and young people submerged and floating in waves of stunning blue pool water. Drawing on the...
Painter Cy Gavin Wins Studio Museum in Harlem’s Annual $50,000 Wein Artist Prize
Thelma Golden presents artist Cy Gavin with the 2023 Wein Prize at the Studio Museum in Harlem’s annual gala. | Photo by Bre Johnson, BFA The museum’s Oct. 30 gala honored Cy Gavin and Elizabeth Alexander THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM has been recognizing the potential of individual artists since 2006 with the...
Honolulu Museum of Art Acquired 55 Works From Robert and Jean Steele, More Than Doubling Representation of African American Artists in its Collection
RON ADAMS (American, 1934–2020), “Blackburn,” 2000 (lithograph). | Lawrence Lithography Workshop, Kansas City, Mo. Partial gift of Robert and Jean Steele; Partial purchase with funds from the John V. Levas Trust, 2023. (2023-06-01) ONE MASTER PRINTER paying homage to another, “Robert Blackburn” (2003) by Ron Adams pictures Blackburn pulling a figurative print from a...
Latest News in Black Art: Lauren Halsey Joins Gagosian, Todd Gray Now Repped by Lehmann Maupin, Harvey B. Gantt Center Turns 50, Plus Major Shake Up at Artforum
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Lauren Halsey. | Photo by Russell Hamilton Representation Gagosian, which has locations in the United States, Europe, and Asia, announced its representation of artist Lauren Halsey. Despite characterizing the relationship as global, she will continue...
